New funding for the National Institutes of
Health and Food and Drug Administration

It is encouraging to see that even in this politically
charged environment, Republicans and Democrats have been able to reach a compromise
to allow a comprehensive mental health reform bill to pass with major new
funding to confront the nation’s opioid crisis, says Senator Christopher S. Murphy,
Democrat of Connecticut. [1]

The bill, which will be voted on in a fast track process in
the House on Wednesday is expected to be voted on in the Senate next week. The OPEN ACT has been removed from the larger
Cures bill due to concerns about cost.
According to the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases, this is a
missed opportunity to help rare disease patients who could benefit from
repurposed treatments through additional support for the pharmaceutical
industry. Advocates will continue to try
to gain backing for this legislation in 2017.

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